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arXiv · 1603.06294

Spontaneous emergence of free-space optical and atomic patterns

Bonnie L. Schmittberger·Daniel J. Gauthier
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Abstract

The spontaneous formation of patterns in dynamical systems is a rich phenomenon that transcends scientific boundaries. Here, we report our observation of coupled optical-atomic pattern formation, which results in the creation of self-organized, multimode structures in free-space laser-driven cold atoms. We show that this process gives rise to spontaneous three-dimensional Sisyphus cooling even at very low light intensities and the emergence of self-organized atomic structures on both sub- and super-wavelength scales.

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Bonnie L. Schmittberger, Daniel J. Gauthier. 2016-03-21. Spontaneous emergence of free-space optical and atomic patterns. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/18/10/103021

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